Blank for and method of manufacturing steel pens



. y 1939- s. E. LONGMAID 2,156,302

BLANK FOR'AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING STEEL PENS Filed June 1, 1936 NEId N INVENTOR L 5 'iE m d Patented May 2, 1939 PATENT OFFIQE BLANK FOR AND METHOD OF MANUFAC- TUBING STEEL PENS Sydney E. Longmaid, Villanova, Pa., assignor to The Esterbrook Steel Pen Manufacturing 00., Camden, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 1, 1936, Serial No. 82,950

4 Claims.

My invention relates to writing pens and comprises an improved construction whereby I provide steel pens with nibs of an improved character, having uniform flexibility and a capillary surface that imparts a finish to the pens that will enhance their appearance and at the same time will prevent a too rapid flow of ink.

My improved pen is provided with nib portions having upon the upper surface thereof a plurality -of transversely disposed grooves 01' indentations which occupy a zone beginning a short distance behind the point of the pen and extending substantially to the pierce hole of the pen. The grooves or indentations may be produced by a rolling, stamping or die-pressing operation and are preferably produced at or before the step of making the blanks and/or punching the same to provide the usual pierce hole.

These and, other features of my invention are more fully set forth hereinafter; reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a greatly enlarged view in plan of a blank for a pen or pen point, illustrating the feature of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the blank shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of a finished pen made from a blank such as that illustrated in Fig. l and Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary edge views, greatly enlarged, illustrating modifications within the scope of my invention.

Steel pens are the product of a number of operations and require careful inspection during various stages of'their manufacture to insure production of perfect articles.

It has long been the practice to provide a slightly roughened zone upon the upper or convex portion of the nibs of pens or pen points adjacent the writing tip end of the same. This slightly roughened zone performs a function in that it tends to prevent a. too rapid fiow of ink from the surfaces of the pen nibs. In addition such zone, when produced with cleanly defined margins, enhances the appearance of pens and pen points giving them a finished look.

This roughened surface has heretofore been produced by a grinding operation after the blanks have been raised into pen form and before the slitting operation; the pens being usually placed upon a suitable carrier, which may rotate, and presented to a revolving emery wheel or other abrading member. This grinding operation however, is faulty and considerable loss is occasioned in practice by irregular grindingone portion of the nib surface being frequently ground off to a greater extent than another. The greatest objection resides in the fact that there is no assurance that such grinding operation, due to variations in the curvature of pens or for other reasons, will be uniform and that an equal amount of metal will be removed from the surface of the pen coming in contact with the abrading element; any irregularity in the grinding affecting the fie-xibility of the. nibs. As the grinding step may follow other important operations in which there is less opportunity for faulty work, the net result in many instances in the final inspection of the pen or pen points is to reject many of the pens after they have been finished due to faulty grinding.

I propose to overcome the difficulties experienced in the preparation or manufacture of pens wherein the nibs are finished by a grinding operation, and in addition to improve and render more uniform the flexibility of the nibs and at the same time enhance the appearance of the pens. To this end I propose to corrugate the nibs of the pens or pen points by providing them with a series of transversely disposed grooves or indentations of uniform depth and spacing which extend from side of the pen or pen point at the upper surface of the nib portions thereof and occupy a zone beginning a short distance behind the point of the pen or pen point and extending substantially to the pierce hole.

Fig. 1 shows a greatly enlarged plan view of a blank from which one of the many types of pens and/or pen points may be made; such View illustrating the portion which subsequently forms the nibs roughened or corrugated by grooving or indenting. The blank is indicated at a; the marking at b; the pierce hole at c, and the transversely grooved or indented portion at d; such grooved or indented portion being forward of the pierce hole. Y

The grooving or indenting indicated at d may be produced by applying die pressure to blanks such as illustrated in Fig. 1 simultaneously with or before the marking step and/or the piercing operation and while the blank is still in the fiat state; the edge View Fig. 2 showing substantially the depth of the grooves or indentations with respect to the thickness of the metal of the blank. .After other operations, unnecessary to mention, the blank is raised to pen form, as illustrated in Fi 3.

The pen or pen point shown in Fig. 3-comprises a body I, a heel 2, and nibs 3; the nibs being produced by slitting the point of the pen as at 55 4 and extending such slit to the pierce hole. The grooved or indented portion is indicated at 5 and occupies a zone beginning a short distance back of the point of the pen and extending substantially to the pierce hole.

The presence of the transverse grooves or indentations enhances the flexibility of the nibs; creating a uniform flexibility not possible in the production of pens which include the grinding step; these grooves serve to slightly retard or retard to the desired extent the flow of ink, and in addition such grooving, or indenting, being uniformly spaced in all instances, enhances the appearance of the pen or pen point. In practice, the grooving or indenting is an actual. recessing of the metal by die or roll pressure and does not show on the underside of the blank or pen. 'The character or shape of the grooves or indentations may vary and in the enlarged fragmentary edge views, Figs. 4 and 5, I have shown examples of other groove contours d and d respectively,

7 which differ from the form of grooves or indentations shown in Fig. 2.

Instead of effecting the grooving or indenting by die-pressing the respective blanks'after they have been stamped from the pen metal stock, it is within the scope of my invention to prepare the pen stock metal with a-continuously grooved or indented portion occupying such position with respect to the marginal edges of the same that blanks for pens and/or pen points may be stamped therefrom in such manner as to bring the grooved or indented portion in the proper position with respect to the nib portion of pens and/or pen points produced from such prepared stock.

It will be understood that modifications may be made in the foregoing embodiment of my invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A blank for the manufacture of a steel Writing pen having the pointed end thereof subsequently providing the nib portion furnished with a plurality of closely placed symmetrically an ranged and continuous transverse grooves or indentation of similar shape or form substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the blank; said grooves being disposed only forward of the pierce hole.

2. A blank for the manufacture of a steel writing pen having the pointed end thereof subsequently providing the nib portion furnished with a plurality of closely placed symmetrically arranged and continuous transverse grooves or indentations upon that surface of the same which becomes the top of the finished pen; said grooves or indentations being substantially at right angles to theplongitudinal axis of the blank and being disposed only forward of the pierce hole.

3. The method of making steel writing pens which comprises stamping blanks from metal 'pen stock, such blanks including a relatively pointed end which subsequently provides the nib portion of the finished pen; forming closely placed symmetrically arranged and continuous transverse grooves or indentations of similar size and shape upon the upper surface of such pointed end substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the pen; said grooves being disposed only-forward of the pierce hole. and thereafter raising the blank to pen form and bringing the grooved or indented portion into slightly arched form.

4. The method of making steel writing pens which comprises rolling pen metal stock with a longitudinal zone of closely placed symmetrically arranged and continuous grooves or indentations of similar shape or form; stamping blanks from such metal stock, such blanks including a relatively pointed end which subsequently provides the nib portion of the finished pen and includes a portion of such grooved or indented part transversely of such pointed end substantially at right angles to its longitudinal axis; said grooves being disposed only forward of the pierce hole, and thereafter raising the blank to pen form.

SYDNEY E. LONGMAID. 

